OVERNIGHT. Jazz.

Fricano Helps Club Toot Its Horn

Once again, the myth that you can't find first-rate jazz in the suburbs is being shattered, this time in a pleasant Niles restaurant that recently began presenting the music on Thursday nights.

In many ways, The Chambers, on North Milwaukee Avenue, suggests the nightspots of an earlier era. The sprawling series of rooms, the pervasive wood paneling and long oak bar, the spacious booths that line the walls-it all recalls the old rustic lodges that once dotted so many Chicago suburbs.

For the past few months, The Chambers has been programming jazz in earnest, presenting a house rhythm section and major guest soloists for weekly engagements. If the size of the crowd and the vigor of the performers during Thursday's show was typical, the restaurant appears to be onto something.

Surely the room could not go wrong by featuring veteran Chicago trumpeter Guy Fricano as guest soloist, with pianist Scott Holman, bassist Brian Sandstrom and drummer Rusty Jones comprising the rhythm section. Together, these stalwart Chicago musicians improvised easily and breezily, their work carrying the spirit of a freewheeling jam session more than a formal presentation. Considering the relaxed ambience of the room, that was precisely the right approach to take.

Fricano, who called the night's tunes, devoted his first set to standards, in so doing reminding listeners that some jazz themes simply never wear out their welcome. Or at least they don't when the material is developed as intelligently as it was on this occasion.

From the opening bars of "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise," Fricano declined to state the tune outright, instead spinning lovely embellishments around it on flugelhorn. To keep matters interesting, he later tossed off a few bars each on trumpet, muted trumpet and valve trombone. If this was a stunt, it proved to be a musically appealing one.

At first glance, Fricano's trumpet version of "Stella by Starlight," complete with harmon mute, would appear to owe a great debt to Miles Davis. But the steely, unyielding nature of Fricano's tone, the hints of be-bop melodic development and the utterly extroverted nature of his solos put Fricano's stamp on the piece.

Turning to the flugelhorn again, Fricano offered his most poetic playing of the evening on another vintage tune, "Body and Soul."

No doubt Fricano was inspired by Jones' genteel brush work on drums, Holman's deeply melodic pianism and Sandstrom's penchant for unexpected chord changes on bass.

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The Chambers, 6881 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, features jazz every Thursday, with Chicago reed player Richie Corpolongo playing next week; phone 708-647-8282.